Dr. Benjamin Covington Collection MSS.0170

Biographical Note

Benjamin Covington was a prominent black physician who practiced in Houston from 1903 until his death in 1961. Dr. Covington and his wife, Jennie, attended Guadalupe College in Seguin, Texas, where they met and eventually married. He received his medical degree from Meharry Medical College in 1900. The Covingtons played active roles in organizing a number of charitable organizations, including an African-American branch of the YMCA and the Houston Settlement Association, and were longtime members of the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church. Dr. Covington helped found the Houston Negro Hospital, which later became Riverside General. The Covington famiy played host to many distinguished black Americans, including the singer Marian Anderson and Booker T. Washington. The Covington's daughter, Jesse, an accomplished pianist, attended Oberlin college in the 1930's and later the Juilliard School of Music. She married Dr. Albert W. Dent, President of Dillard University in New Orleans.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

None.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish or reproduce materials from the Dr. Benjamin Covington Collection must be obtained from the Houston Metropolitan Research Center or the appropriate copyright holder.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Dr. Benjamin Covington Collection. MSS 151. Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library.

Processing Information

Processed by Suzanne Summers, 1990.

Detailed Description of the Collection